Dumbbell Leg Workouts You Can Do in Your Living Room

If you don’t want to travel long distances to the gym, you can definitely do a great strength training session at home.In fact, this dumbbell leg workout proves that you don’t need a ton of equipment or space to really work your lower body.
“People think that your workouts will be more effective if you’re in an environment where other people work out, like your gym,” ACE-certified personal trainer Sivan Fagan, CPT, owner of Strong With Sivan, tells SELF.But that doesn’t have to be true: You can create your own effective workout using just a set of dumbbells in your living room—you just have to keep a few things in mind, like exercise options and programming.
What’s one way to make your leg workouts feel challenging, even without heavy weights or barbells?Stack your workout routine with unilateral, single-leg exercises, says Fagan.
“Unilateral exercises are intense because they only target one leg at a time,” she says.They require more core and leg stability, which makes the movement feel more difficult.Plus, since you’re exercising each side individually, your body spends twice as much time on each set compared to the time it takes to work both sides.
Another way to increase the difficulty of lower body workouts at home is to adjust your routine.For example, in this dumbbell leg workout created by Fagan for SELF, you’ll perform supersets (stacking two exercises back-to-back without rest) and triple sets (stacking three exercises back-to-back without rest) of your exercises.This does increase the intensity of a workout using traditional sets, where you rest after each set and only move on to the next exercise after all sets are complete.Plus, if you’re pressed for time, it’s a great way to boost your heart rate and get used to vigorous exercise.
A good home leg workout should also include basic movement patterns like squats, lunges, hinges, or bridges to hit all the muscles in the lower body.By including these movement patterns, Fagan says, you’re sure to create a well-rounded workout routine that includes compound exercises that train your entire lower body.For example, a single-leg deadlift using hinge mode really targets your glutes and hamstrings, while a Bulgarian split squat using squat mode hits your quads.You can then supplement these larger exercises with movements that work smaller muscle groups, such as side-lying leg raises, which work the glute abductors, and calf raises, which work the calves of the lower legs.
From the calves to the quads, this dumbbell leg workout touches all the basic movement patterns to strengthen the lower body.Ready to try this five-step routine?Grab a pair of dumbbells and get ready to get to work!
What you need: A bench, chair or steps, and a pair of dumbbells.Because you’ll be working the same muscles with little rest between workouts, you may want to choose a lighter weight than you normally use.While weight will vary based on your experience and fitness level, 5-12 pounds is probably a good starting range.
Demonstrating the following moves are powerlifter Rachel Dennis (GIF 1), competing in the US powerlifting competition; Francine Delgado-Lugo (GIF 2), co-founder of FORM Fitness Brooklyn; Hejira Nitoto (GIF 3), a Mom of 6, certified personal trainer and owner of a Los Angeles-based fitness apparel line; Krystal Salvent (GIF 4), a NASM-certified personal trainer in New York City; and Nicole Figueroa (GIF 5), A NASM certified personal trainer and online fitness trainer.
For a beginner-friendly modification, do this exercise with your feet on the floor, which reduces the range of motion in your hips—this is known as a split squat.If you want to make this exercise more challenging, you can pause at the bottom for two to three seconds before pushing up or slow down the entire exercise.
This exercise requires good stability (you will balance on one leg) and flexibility.To make this move easier, you can do a staggered deadlift: place one leg in front of the other and place your back toes on the floor.You’ll work the front legs; the back legs are just for balance.Alternatively, you can make single-leg deadlifts easier by holding a dumbbell in one hand and gently grasping a wall or solid object with the other for balance.
To make this exercise easier, place your feet on the floor to reduce the range of motion in your hips.
This exercise works your gluteal abductors, the small muscles on the side of your hips.To make this move easier, you can do a bent-knee clamshell.
To make this exercise easier, you can do bilateral calf raises with your toes on the ground.For added difficulty, you can do it on stairs with your heels hanging behind you — this will increase your range of motion.
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Post time: Jul-14-2022